Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) directed studentships and training awards provide students with particular, specialist skills linked to:
- our strategic priorities
- skills shortages identified by our community.
It is important to review future skills needs and gaps particularly as science changes and develops and becomes increasingly interdisciplinary.
Directed studentships not only equip individuals with the skills necessary for delivering high-quality research in priority areas but also with the skills needed by:
- industry
- policymakers
- academia
- advisory bodies
- regulators
- employers.
Students cannot apply directly to us for studentship funding. They need to apply to the institution where they want to study.
Doctoral Focal Awards
Background
In 2023, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) launched a new doctoral investment framework under which all UKRI-funded doctoral training will be delivered.
The investment framework sets out that our doctoral support will be framed around two types of awards:
- Doctoral Landscape Awards
- Doctoral Focal Awards
Doctoral Focal Awards provide funding for research training in specific, tightly focused themes or challenges.
NERC will take a flexible approach to commissioning Doctoral Focal Awards.
Funding opportunities
Over time a mix of mechanisms including ‘directed’ and ‘open’ funding opportunities will allow us to adapt and respond more to specific challenges across our own remit while also considering collective opportunities across UKRI.
2024
In 2024, NERC launched an open funding opportunity for Doctoral Focal Awards where applicants identified the challenge of focus and justified the specific need for doctoral training in this area.
NERC will fund four new Doctoral Focal Awards from this opportunity.
2025
In 2025, NERC will allocate funding for Doctoral Focal Awards through two routes.
Route one
We will collaborate with BBSRC and MRC to launch a joint funding opportunity for Doctoral Focal Awards in engineering biology
Route two
NERC received excellent applications to the 2024 open funding opportunity which were outside of the funding envelope.
To maintain budget flexibility while reducing the burden on the community of preparing additional applications, we will also aim to support a number of these previously unfunded but excellent applications.
Applicants will be given the opportunity for their application to be reconsidered for funding and undergo a panel assurance process to ensure that the proposed training can be delivered for studentship starts in 2026.
Other directed training schemes
Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) are institutions or consortia offering directed studentships that address the following types of skills gaps, which we and partners have identified:
- professional
- technical
- academic
CASE studentships are PhD studentships during which the student enhances their training by spending three to 18 months with a CASE partner in a workplace outside of the academic environment. They are awarded to promote collaboration between the research community and the end-users of research.
Research programme grants associated studentships allow funding to be requested for a project student. The research undertaken through a project studentship will be closely associated with the work carried out in the grant. The requirements of its awarding research programme will determine the research topic of the parent grant.
Research programme competition studentships are standalone research programme funding opportunities. They’re awarded to address science challenges and priorities identified by NERC and its partners.
Research centre and survey studentships – we host these in collaboration with PhD awarding organisations such as the British Geological Survey (BGS). They award studentships that relate to research topics relevant to their science remits.
Last updated: 17 December 2024